How to actually install Linux

WARNING
MAKE A BACKUP OF ANY FILE YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE.
ASSUME YOU WILL LOSE EVERYTHING ON YOUR DEVICE WHEN INSTALLING.

Step One: Create your installation media

You will need:

• A USB drive of at least 4GB
• It is rarer, but possible to use a CD/DVD or network partition to install. This guide will assume you are using a USB drive however.
• A Linux distribution .iso file downloaded
• USB flashing software
• This guide will also assume you are using Windows on non-ARM hardware, if you are running Linux you've done this before most likely, if you are running MacOS on Apple Silicon you have my sympathy.

Flashing the drive:

1. Download Rufus, or BalenaEtcher.
2. In the software, select your .iso file and your USB drive.
• Make sure you select your USB drive and not your system drive. Double-check the name and storage before flashing.
3. Once everything's in order, click flash and wait for it to finish.

Pre-installation:

1. Back up any and all crucial files on your target device.
2. Once you have finished backing up, insert the USB stick.
3. In Windows, boot to UEFI settings.
4. In your computer's settings, locate the boot device order and move your USB stick upwards in the list.
• We do this so your PC doesn't ignore the Linux file on your USB stick and boot to Windows anyway.
• I cannot help with specific firmwares, google is your friend.
5. Save your boot order changes and restart

Installing:

1. If all has gone well, you should now be booted into either a live image or installer.
• If your USB stick has failed to boot, double-check that your downloaded .iso hasn't gotten corrupted. Your chosen distribution should have instructions for verifying this.
• If the .iso really isn't at fault, try with another USB drive.
2. Proceed with install according to the instructions, here is where you get to set and select how your install will behave so pay attention to the steps.
• This guide is assuming you wish to replace your Windows install entirely. When asked about the 'Drive Partitioning' or similar, select to delete the existing partitions and re-partition the drive for use by Linux.
• THIS IS THE PART THAT DELETES DATA. ONCE YOU HAVE COMMITTED TO A RE-PARTITION YOU CANNOT UNDO IT. Only proceed from the partitioning step if you are satisfied with the settings.
3. Wait for the install to finsh, it may take some time.
• It may look like nothing is happening, but give it time. If absolutely nothing has moved in half an hour, it is likely the system has frozen. This is extremely rare so be absolutely sure it's frozen before pulling the plug.
4. Once the install process has finished, the system will ask you to remove the USB drive and restart. This is to make sure you actually start from your freshly-installed Linux deployment instead of the USB.

Congratulations!

If all has gone well, you should now be faced with a fresh Linux install ready to be used.